This visualization was created with data from satellites including SeaWiFS, and instruments including the NASA/NOAA Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer.(NASA)

NASA captured 20 years of changing seasons. They are shown in a striking new global map of the home planet.

The data visualization was released last week. It shows Earth's fluctuations. They are seen from space.

The polar ice caps and snow cover are shown ebbing and flowing with the seasons. The ocean appears as shades of blue. It appears as shades of green. It appears as shades of red. And it appears as shades of purple. The shades indicate the abundance - or lack - of undersea life.

"It's like watching the Earth breathe. It's really remarkable." That's according to Jeremy Werdell. He's an oceanographer. He works for NASA. He took part in the project.

Two decades are crunched into 2 1/2 minutes of viewing. The time frame is September 1997 to this past September.

Werdell finds the imagery mesmerizing.

"It's like all of my senses are being transported into space. Then you can compress time and rewind it, and just continually watch this kind of visualization," he said Friday.

Werdell said the visualization shows spring coming earlier. It shows autumn lasting longer. This is in the Northern Hemisphere. Also noticeable to him is the Arctic ice caps. They are receding over time. Less obvious, though is the Antarctic.

On the sea side, Werdell was struck by "this hugely productive bloom of biology." It exploded in the Pacific. This was along the equator. It happened from 1997 to 1998. That's when a water-warming El Nino merged into cooling La Nina. This algae bloom is evident by a line of bright green.

Compared to the seas, Lake Erie is much smaller. But more and more contaminating algae blooms are apparent. They appear red and yellow.

All this data can provide resources for policymakers. It can also provide data for commercial fishermen and many others. That's according to Werdell.

Alex Kekesi is a programmer. He works for NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. It is in Maryland. He said it took three months to complete the visualization. He used satellite imagery.

The visualization will continually change. This is just like our Earth. This will happen as computer systems improve. It will happen as new remote-sensing satellites are launched and more observations are made.